Customers and sellers of Etsy, a popular online marketplace for handmade crafts, are enraged by a recently implemented guideline meant to accommodate vendors who have a hard time meeting growing customer demands. The new policy allows sellers to hire employees, outsource shipping and fulfillment, and use manufacturers to produce their designs, all in exchange for transparency regarding the works of the business.
“Your place to buy and sell all things handmade.” ― Etsy sales pitch
Etsy users complain about the site deviating from their original value proposition and how it is becoming a sales platform for small businesses, essentially losing the ethos that differentiated it from eBay.
Etsy rivals Aftcra and Zibbet jump for joy at the news, as they both advocate a strict definition of handmade. Zibbet even reported increased account registrations on their site after Etsy’s policy announcement.
As online blog Babbage points out, Etsy buyers “seek a sense of authenticity” from the items they purchase on this site. Elizabeth Wayland Barber, however, argues that none of the object we think are “handmade” truly is, as they almost always have manufactured parts (eg, processed thread and yarn).
As it stands, I agree with Barber; “handmade” items today are rarely that. Etsy sellers are simply trying to be more efficient with their sales by using manufactured parts to create their products. What should matter more is the effort and ingenuity used to craft the item; that is my definition of handmade.
How do you define “handmade”?